Judge's Familiar MTG Card

Its sacrifice-and-counter ability offers a subtle but effective way to disrupt and delay opponents’ plans. Strategically delaying spells or baiting its ability can neutralize Judge’s Familiar’s influence on the game. Suitable for aggro and control decks, its versatile nature allows it to fit into various strategic roles.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Bird
Abilities Flying
Power 1
Toughness 1

Text of card

Flying Sacrifice Judge's Familiar: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays .

"It misses nothing and it has no sense of humor." —Barvisa, courtroom scribe

Cards like Judge's Familiar

Judge’s Familiar is a versatile creature card in Magic: The Gathering that bears similarities to several other notable cards in the game. Its closest comparison might be to cards like Mausoleum Wanderer, which serves a similar role in controlling opponents’ spells. While Judge’s Familiar requires a sacrifice to counter a spell unless its controller pays one extra mana, Mausoleum Wanderer has the built-in potential to increase the cost further based on its power.

Cursecatcher is another card that echoes the counter ability of Judge’s Familiar, allowing players to sacrifice it and force an opponent to pay one more mana for a spell or lose it. However, unlike Judge’s Familiar, Cursecatcher is restricted to countering instants and sorceries, limiting its versatility. Both Judge’s Familiar and Cursecatcher share a valued spot in blue-based control decks, showing that even the smallest creatures can have a large impact on a game’s flow.

Considering Judge’s Familiar in a deck means assessing the strategic control it brings, similar to its counterparts, while providing the flexibility to thwart a wide array of spells, elevating its utility in protecting key game moments.

Mausoleum Wanderer - MTG Card versions
Cursecatcher - MTG Card versions
Mausoleum Wanderer - MTG Card versions
Cursecatcher - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Judge's Familiar by color, type and mana cost

Zealous Guardian - MTG Card versions
Elite Arrester - MTG Card versions
Zealous Guardian - MTG Card versions
Elite Arrester - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Judge's Familiar. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Azorius TempoAzorius Tempo GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
Azorius ControlAzorius Control PauperCaw-GatesLiga Gacha de Pauper 2024 - Etapa 2
Mono-Blue FaeriesMono-Blue Faeries PauperMono-Blue FaeriesPauper Challenge 64 2024-03-03
Mono-White AggroMono-White Aggro GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
WW PauperPauper League 2024-01-29
Rogue DecklistsRogue Decklists LegacyAzorius ControlLegacy Etapa #01-2024 - Liga Curitibana de Legacy
Esper AggroEsper Aggro GladiatorGladiator Games: We're Back
Caw-GatesCaw-Gates PauperCaw-GatesPauper League 2024-01-18
Monowhite WeenieMonowhite Weenie PauperLega Pauper Napoli - VI Tappa
Boros ConvokeBoros Convoke PioneerBoros ConvokePioneer League 2024-01-10

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Judge’s Familiar may not draw you cards directly, its ability to sacrifice and counter a spell unless its controller pays one, can be critical in protecting your lead or disrupting your opponent’s plans. Its real advantage lies in its potential to trade with a card from your opponent’s hand while only costing one mana itself.

Resource Acceleration: Although Judge’s Familiar isn’t a resource acceleration card in the traditional sense, it can indirectly speed up your gameplay. By forcing your opponent to hold back mana to avoid the counter ability, it lets you play a more efficient, faster game — sometimes keeping you a step ahead of the competition.

Instant Speed: As a creature with flying, Judge’s Familiar can be an excellent defender on the fly — quite literally. With instant speed sacrifice ability, it lets you decide on the perfect moment to disrupt your opponent’s moves, keeping them constantly on edge and effectively leveraging the timing of your plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While this might not be a characteristic of Judge’s Familiar itself, one of the downsides of including utilitarian creatures in your deck can be the opportunity cost of cards that may require discard as part of their mechanic. Choosing to incorporate functional yet specific creatures like Judge’s Familiar means potentially foregoing cards with synergistic discard benefits that scale with your hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: Judge’s Familiar does have a specific mana requirement: a hybrid mana that could either be white or blue. Although this adds versatility in its casting, it does mean that the card is best utilized in decks that can fully take advantage of its color identity, potentially excluding it from mono-color decks that do not run white or blue.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a card that primarily serves as a flying blocker and a mechanism for limited spell disruption, Judge’s Familiar can seem costly when compared to other one-drops. Decks aiming for maximum efficiency might look for cheaper alternatives that still provide utility or stronger disruptive capabilities without the mana investment that Judge’s Familiar requires, even if only by a margin.

Reasons to Include Judge’s Familiar in Your Collection

Versatility: Judge’s Familiar boasts a flexibility rarely seen in one-mana creatures. As a flying threat, it can chip away at the opponent’s life total while dodging many common blockers. Its secondary ability to counter instant or sorcery spells unless the caster pays one more mana offers strategic control elements, fitting well into tempo and aggro decks alike.

Combo Potential: This card can smoothly slot into decks utilizing sacrifice mechanics. Since Judge’s Familiar can be sacrificed at any time to counter a spell, it pairs well with other cards that capitalize on creatures dying, like those with “morbid” or “prowess” effects, enhancing multi-card interactions and enabling intricate combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where low-cost instants and sorceries dominate, Judge’s Familiar shines by putting a tax on your opponent’s pivotal spells. The mere presence of this card on the board can deter opponents from casting their spells when they need them most, thereby disrupting their tempo and providing tactical advantages.

How to Beat Judge’s Familiar

Judge’s Familiar is a versatile creature card that can be a real nuisance for opponents in Magic: The Gathering. It’s not just a flying creature for one mana, but it also holds the power to counter noncreature spells unless the opponent pays one extra mana. This can disrupt early game strategies and delay pivotal plays.

Overcoming Judge’s Familiar ideally involves playing around its counter ability. Strategic players would bait out its sacrifice by using a less critical spell first or by having extra mana ready to pay its taxing cost. Creature spells are the key since Judge’s Familiar cannot counter those, paving the way for a more aggressive approach or to establish board presence without hindrance.

Also, removal spells that target multiple creatures can be efficient in dealing with Judge’s Familiar since their cost is usually worth the broader impact, making it less sensible for an opponent to sacrifice Judge’s Familiar in response. In essence, patience and smart sequencing of spells are crucial when facing this tactical bird in a match, ensuring your key spells resolve and maintain momentum in your favor.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Judge's Familiar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Return to Ravnica, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Judge's Familiar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Judge's Familiar Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 481942003NormalBlackRyan Yee
22012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 2182003NormalBlackJack Wang
32019-02-15RNA Guild KitGK2 142015NormalBlackJack Wang
42024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 1922015NormalBlackJack Wang

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Judge's Familiar has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal